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Does Working at Home Work For You?
It has been just over one year of working remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic and while some find themselves wondering how they ever functioned outside the comfort of their homes, others are itching to be back in the office. While you may feel a certain way about your work from home situation, here are a few things to consider:
Pros
- No Commute: Eliminating the transportation to and from the office saves employees time, money and reduces stress as well. according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey, the average American’s commute is 26.9 minutes.
- Quiet Atmosphere: For some (those without children, roommates, or pets) the atmosphere at home is less distracting than that of the office. In a study done by the University of Stanford “home-based employees increased their productivity by 13%”
- Productive Breaks: Instead of sitting in the break room staring at your phone, you might be spending time doing laundry, prepping dinner, or taking your dog for a walk.
Cons:
- Team Separation: While not being distracted by coworkers in the office could be a pro, it might be affecting us negatively as well. We’re not easily able to turn to each other for support or kudos. Face to face interactions are important for getting creative juices flowing, developing, and executing new ideas
- Distracting Atmosphere: For some (those with children, roommates, or pets) the home atmosphere could be distracting or not ideal for conference calls.
- Resources: While we might want to think we are doing just fine working from home we are disconnected from many resources provided in the office that enable a more productive working environment. In a study done by the University of Stanford, “only 65 percent of Americans reported having fast enough internet capacity to support workable video calls”.
Overall, it really depends on your situation and the job at hand when it comes to deciding if working at home works for you. This last year has made a great impact on the remote work stigma and has companies considering more flexibility with remote work as it boosts morale, improves productivity, and frees up office space.
Contributor: Danielle Sternola
References:
https://news.stanford.edu/2020/06/29/snapshot-new-working-home-economy/
https://siepr.stanford.edu/research/publications/bright-future-working-home
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